User talk:BlueOtter
Welcome Hi, welcome to the Dragon Age Wiki! Thanks for joining! I hope that you will stick around and continue to help us improve the wiki. Please leave a message on my talk page if I can help with anything! Loleil (talk) 18:49, November 22, 2013 (UTC) Parent categories Hello there! Thanks for your contribution to the wiki. I wanted to inform you that generally we do not add parent categories in item pages. User:Kelcat is currently adding the child category and removing the parent (Poison-Making cat) from poison items. That is why I had to revert some of your edits which were adding the parent category back. Cheers! 10:36, December 6, 2013 (UTC) :Ah, I figured as much. I just noticed that neither of the two pages had all the poisons, so I just equalized them. Being OCD... Let me know if you all need assistance. I have plenty of free time (being retired) and can learn readily. --BlueOtter (talk) 15:11, December 6, 2013 (UTC) :: If you could help me finish removing all of the recipes from the Category:Poison-Making, that'd be a huge help! :: Also, if you're looking for more to do on the wiki, this page is a great place to start: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Site_maintenance. This shows all the articles that need cleanup, are missing images, citations, etc. Kelcat (talk) 19:27, December 6, 2013 (UTC) ::: Easily done. So, "Category:Poison-Making" is cleaned out of individual recipes. :::Are you also in charge of Trap-Making pages & categories? I just thought that they should be renamed from 'recipes' to 'plans'. --BlueOtter (talk) 21:59, December 6, 2013 (UTC) :::: This category-tweaking work can be easily done by a bot. However Kelcat is doing it manually because aside of the category change, she also makes various other tweaks on the page itself. (adding acquisition info, etc) :::: As for your suggestion on Trap-Making recipes, it is a good one. Would you like to rename the page yourself? 22:08, December 6, 2013 (UTC) ::::: I'd already finished up everything else, the removal of the parent category was the last thing to do. Thanks for taking care of that BlueOtter! Kelcat (talk) 22:29, December 6, 2013 (UTC) :::::: Mahalo/No problem, Kelcat. Oh, FYI, I noticed some of the recipe pages have the title of the outline as a link, i.e. Awakening, and "Vigil's Keep - Throne Room" as one whole link, vice 2 individual ones: throne room & Vigil's Keep. If you want, I can fix them, too. :::::: Vik, roger on using a bot, but I'm old-school with self QA, so I prefer to edit the source page, refresh affected page, and verify changes propagate, before moving on. E.g. when you edit the 'Requires:' field in source recipe table, it is updated immediately in the upper-right corner table, but there is a delay of one edit to the below "Crafting" table's 'Required skills' column. I noticed that with my own and Kelcat's edits. So, what I did was to edit the whole page first, then, edit the Crafting sub-section (without any changes). This seems to sync the two fields. :::::: And, yes, to Trap-Making pages. I'll tackle them after I feed myself. --BlueOtter (talk) 23:23, December 6, 2013 (UTC) Yeah, go head and fix any of those you find. Kelcat (talk) 00:53, December 7, 2013 (UTC) : Kelcat, I scanned through Poison-Making recipes and fixed the Acquisition sub-headers. Additionally, I added 'locations' into the RecipeTransformer table, to coincide with rune tracing pages. : Vikky, unless otherwise directed/stopped, I'll continue the same location data entry for other recipes, plans, and tracings. --BlueOtter (talk) 22:37, December 7, 2013 (UTC) NOTOC, trivia Hello there! The code does not allow the Table of Contents (TOC) to appear. The TOC appears if 4 or more sections an article has and we use it mostly when there are 4 (or a bit more) paragraphs which are really short thus making the TOC not very helpful. A good example in which we use this code is the rune pages. However in your recent edits you've added it in pages which do not have a TOC already, thus making the code reduntant. Furthermore, trivia like a dwarven king wearing magister clothing is not very accurate. The developers put different clothing on characters for variation. In this case, the dwarven king would not wear the same as the dwarf nobles, so they chose to give him these robes, for appearance reasons only. 15:35, December 19, 2013 (UTC) :Roger, Vikky. Thanks for the clarification with NOTOC. FYI, I added it in when the auto-format was making a TOC from sub-headers, and I just continued onto the other pages I was working on as a precaution. I'll be mindful. :As for the dwarven king's appearance, the note was already there. I just shortened it when I added mine about the other robes. --BlueOtter (talk) 05:59, December 20, 2013 (UTC) Locations on items Hey! I like the way you added the locations on the robes (the style you used), especially when they appear in both Origins and Awakening. If you're interested, most of the armor and weapons in Origins could benefit from that kind of consistency in the location part of the info box. Kelcat (talk) 16:55, December 19, 2013 (UTC) :Kelcat, thanks, but I can't take full credit. I just saw similar design on another armor item, and thought that this separation of locations was unique to armors/weapons (vs. runes & recipes I worked on 2 weeks ago). :IMHO, I thought that it was too wordy for the table, since the "Appearances" block below already had the same data. Anyway, just let me know what's the consensus on it: simple list of merchants/person to be looted (like this Shock Bomb Recipe) -or- with sub-headers (like this Archon Robes). --BlueOtter (talk) 07:34, December 20, 2013 (UTC) A Village Under Siege article revision Ho' there friend! You've mentioned the other time your interest in helping out in particular projects of the wiki. And I noticed that you've made some edits in articles around A Village Under Siege quest line. I've meaning to make a full revision of that page however other projects in the wiki are unfortunately consuming all my free time. So I was wondering -- since you've already worked there -- if you'd be interested to conduct a full article revision on the quest page itself and the characters involved in it. That for example includes checking how much Coercion a particular persuasion or intimidation requires or the amount of enemies or the fact that talking to Owen and Ser Perth is needed in order to complete the quest (unlike the other sub-quests). Furthermore, there is also some unique information which we need to add to the quest page. It can be found here. Regards, 14:06, January 15, 2014 (UTC) :Sure. I can give it a go, seeing as how I don't have much desire to finish this playthrough quickly. Point me to a particular quest walkthrough that I should follow as example. Otherwise, I will just retrace my steps via my screenshots and savegames. :BTW, my game's dialogues are fixed/improved via DA Nexus Mods, i.e. ZDF, MRP, CRF, etc... So, I don't experience or see the bugs or exploits in this quest page. But, I'll leave them alone for those with vanilla version. ::Hmm. I am not particularly fond with any quest walkthrough to be honest. However, as I have fully revisioned the Shadows of the Blackmarsh, I can vouch that it is in a good shape. As for the mods, I guess you should refrain from mentioning any particularly interesting companion dialogues, as these may be a product of restored cut content. If you believe that no other mods are conflicting, then you're good to go :) 19:02, January 15, 2014 (UTC) Hey there! I am wondering if you're still working on A Village Under Siege page. Cheers! 15:01, February 9, 2014 (UTC) :Sorry, got sidetracked. Thanks for the reminder. I'll get to it today. --BlueOtter (talk) 17:39, February 9, 2014 (UTC) ::Hey, thanks for your work! By the way I'd like to inform you that when a location page uses the Template:LocationTransformer (which practicaly every location page does) then the Category:Locations is added automatically and it is duplicated if you add it once more on your own. 09:37, February 13, 2014 (UTC) Missing plot items You've been working on a lot of the Nature of the Beast stuff, right? Any idea where the Halla Antlers and Ironbark Bracers are found? Item ID codes (Origins)#Nature of the Beast. I found them using the console. Halla Antlers definitely show up as a plot item in the inventory and are described as "The curiously intertwined antlers from a halla." (Maybe they're from something in the Dalish Camp?) The Ironbark Bracer is classified as light gloves--I'm thinking that they're unobtainable, though, as I can't remember finding them. These are the last two Nature of the Beast plot items that are missing, so it'd be nice to find them. Kelcat (talk) 00:15, February 23, 2014 (UTC) :Actually, I was done with that quest and moved onto The Urn of Sacred Ashes and related pages. Anyway, yes, you're right about the antlers. You get them if you deceived Elora and have her killed her halla. Then, Varathorn will reshape them into an amulet: Halla Horn. Since I have the savegame handy, I created the page for the antlers: Halla Antlers, and updated the Elora's Halla quest & related pages. :I never encountered the Ironbark Bracer. Most likely not implemented, since the Rare Ironbark side quest has different reward items. --BlueOtter (talk) 01:26, February 23, 2014 (UTC) :: Thanks for that, I don't have any saves anywhere near that area. I wonder if those gloves were supposed to be an alternate reward for that quest then. I'll add the article as an unobtainable item once I get screenshots. Kelcat (talk) 23:23, February 23, 2014 (UTC) Current focus on editing Hey BlueOtter! You've worked lately on the container/involvement section of places lately. For the next 2 weeks I'll be active around the wiki, and as I am already undergoing a personal project on dwarf-related pages, I think it would be very helpful if you shift your attention on locations in Orzammar and in the Deep Roads. That would both assist my work but also yours since you'll have an extra hand. What do you say? 03:43, February 25, 2014 (UTC) :Hahaha, kinda funny and expected, since that's where I (or, rather my current character) will be heading to (as soon as I kill the High Dragon using only rangers & archers). Which means, I'll be comparing my playthru against the walkthru's & locations and fixing any discrepancies. So, yes, you'll see my editing efforts in Orzammar soon. Let me know of any specific stuff to watch out for. --BlueOtter (talk) 04:00, February 25, 2014 (UTC) ::Hehe, well this is my project if you are interested to check it out. 06:10, February 25, 2014 (UTC) Icons Hey again! As you might have noticed, the icons of some items (including plot items) are being recycled, ie. they are used in several items at once. Subsequently the icon you upladed (File:Sealed lockbox icon.png) was identical to an existing icon already (File:Plt ico jewelry.png). There might also be a conflict with the previous icons you uploaded. Anyway, my suggestion is to check Category:Dragon Age: Origins icons and Category:Icons before you upload a non-unique icon. Cheers! 13:57, February 25, 2014 (UTC) :Thanks, yeah; actually, I did scan both lists. Thought that I was providing a better image. Well, now that I'm looking them side by side at 500% zoom, I can see that mine got degraded or lost in transmission. :-/ Oh, well, no big deal. I went ahead and fixed the other two duplicates: Vial of Dragons Blood and Halla Antlers. And, marked my images for deletion. --BlueOtter (talk) 01:12, February 26, 2014 (UTC) ::If you provide a better icon, then find the links of the old icon and switch them to link yours and then tag the old icon for deletion (which will be made swiftly as all the links will now link to your uploaded icon). Keeping two (almost) identical icons at the wiki is not encouraged. 02:59, February 26, 2014 (UTC) :::Whoa... You mean there's a no-double-icon enforcement police on this Wiki? Thanks for the heads-up, 'cause I am trying to keep a low profile. ;-) --BlueOtter (talk) 03:59, February 26, 2014 (UTC) ::::Haha.. actually the whole image section of the wiki is hardly patrolled. In fact I've told you these tips since there is practically noone to check it out. 12:14, February 26, 2014 (UTC) Killing Connor Regarding The Arl of Redcliffe, I just finished going through all 3 options (killing Connor, using Jowan's ritual, using the Circle Mages) switching between all characters to see what Approval results were possible. If you decide to kill Connor you don't have to tell Isolde and Teagan your decision, you can just go upstairs and get Connor to attack you. But if you do tell Isolde: * Leliana unless you can Persuade her or you ask for other options and then decide to kill him anyway. * Shale * Sten * Wynne After you defeat the Demon, I got different Approvals (as described by my edit to the quest page) based on what I did with Isolde: knock her out and kill Connor, let her kill him, or kill Connor myself. But none of these gave any Approval changes for Alistair, whether he was in the party or not. :Ok, I'd assume that above paragraphs were written by Hornacek, since I left a note on his talk page. Anyway, you're correct, Hornacek. I missed Leliana's in the walkthru earlier. Of course, being OCD, I just had to kill that demon another dozen times, in various combination of companions (Alistair, Morrigan, Wynne, Shale, Leliana, Zevran) & decisions (inform Isolde downstairs and get 3 choices with Leliana and then get 3 more decision trees upstairs). I think, I've have enough with this desire demon & Isolde's voice till next year. --BlueOtter (talk) 09:04, February 27, 2014 (UTC) "Ok, I'd assume that above paragraphs were written by Hornacek" Yes, you're right, it's me. I forgot to click the signature button. I am just as OCD, making a save before confronting Connor, then trying every different character to see all the reactions, then doing all the different conversations with Isolde to kill Connor. I even went back to an earlier save and left Jowan in his cell (instead of freeing him and telling him I never wanted to see him again) so that I could try his ritual to save Connor with every different character. It's the completist in me. --Hornacek (talk) 22:20, February 27, 2014 (UTC) :Either that or there's something about that fight that we had to replay it again and again. Is it about the kid? Nah, must be the nipple rings. Or, I just felt like knocking out that annoying Isolde so many times. :Anyway, I guess, I'll leave the Approval stuff to you and stick to my edits on XP, items, links, and other background data. Happy coding! --BlueOtter (talk) 03:00, February 28, 2014 (UTC) Icon image Hola. I just added the plot item Sten's Cage Key, but the icon for it unfortunately isn't on the wiki. Screenshots don't turn out well at all on my laptop, so I'm wondering, if you have the console enabled (and can thus add items) would you be able to grab an image of the icon for me? Kelcat (talk) 05:53, February 28, 2014 (UTC) :Well, no, I don't have console enabled, but I have plenty of savegames. My current playthru doesn't have Sten (yes, I left him to rot in his cell for his crimes), but the previous ones have him. Most of the time, I just lockpicked his cage, so took a while to find the one where I saved before interacting with it. Anyway, I uploaded the image and updated the key's page and plot item list. --BlueOtter (talk) 06:35, February 28, 2014 (UTC) :: Ah, well I'm glad you were able to find it. Thanks much! --Kelcat (talk) 06:56, February 28, 2014 (UTC) Blessing of the Ancestors Hey Blue! Can you find the magic resistance of Blessing of the Ancestors? Thanks! 00:29, March 3, 2014 (UTC) :Hi, Vik! As you know, the DAO's Toolset doesn't have resource files (nss) for Awakening, so I couldn't just look up a script. Now, I was able to extract out the .gda or excel spreadsheets from .erf files and looked through them for basic data, such as activation costs, upkeeps, cooldowns, ranges, cast time, etc... Unlike Origins gda's, there are no comments or label annotations in either the main abi or passive ability files for any of the talents/spells. (Yeah, crappy workmanship there.) However, I was able to correlate the codes from Origins' sheets and tracked back the passive abilities to each new talents/spells. Anyway, there doesn't appear to be any passive magic resistance for Blessing of the Ancestors. If there is supposed to be, then, it is hidden with the singletarget scripts to handle spell immunity. And, I've exhausted my efforts in searching through Bioware forum, modding community, and google search to get a copy of the nss files. :-( :I did test out my theory by throwing a bunch of grenades, flame blasts, fireballs, infernos, death clouds, and fade bursts at Sigrun without Strength of Stone being sustained. She didn't resist any passively, so there you go. :On the bright side, I went through Awakening talents/spells and fixed up most of them. And, learn about sustained abilities conflicts, specifically, Strength of Stone and Endure Hardship. Awakening & Vigil's Keep ::Great work again! I don't suppose you could find the files about the upgrades on Vigil's Keep. This is an area that noone can accurately find answers and this is something that the wiki really lacks. (ie. the exact steps to fully upgrade Vigil's Keep - which has several impacts on the storyline afterwards) 02:53, March 4, 2014 (UTC) No, don't make me go to Vigil's Keep. It's dreary; even with the sun up in the sky, the place seems gloomy or dark, with all the torches at the doors. I like the brightly-lit Soldier's Peak better. To answer your inquiry: no, those would be in the designerplot or other compiled files, which I haven't figure out how to reverse-engineer. On the other hand, I thought that the rebuilding Side Quests (Awakening) and Epilogue (Awakening) were pretty clear on what to do for the epilogue slides one wanted. Granted that the quests themselves could have some more details (XP, rewards, links). I guess, I kind of like having some details but not all. I mean, all choices laid out with enough words on consequences, but not the maths behind the decision tree. Obviously, I have a different take on gameplay, skills/talents/spells, & items. Those, I don't mind 100% data. Just let me get thru Orzammar & Deep Roads this week before I switch characters. --BlueOtter (talk) 08:40, March 4, 2014 (UTC) : Whatever, Vigil's Keep is the best ;) I definitely want to work on Awakening soon, especially the epilogue and party approval stuff. If you work on it you'll probably beat me to it as my new clean playthrough is still in Ostagar. (blame Sims 3 on my lack of advancing in my playthroughs.) Let me know if you need/want help on any particular stuff, though! Kelcat (talk) 18:09, March 4, 2014 (UTC) : Just checked your newest edits. Judging from the achievement notes you're adding, it seems you've found a way to determine the exact updates of Vigil's Keep. If that is so, then I suggest to write a separate page about this achievement, much like A Worthy Rival. I could do that too, if it is too much. 04:47, March 5, 2014 (UTC) ::Well, yes and no on finding all the data. I extracted the rewards sheet and correlated most of the shorted/coded entries to Awakening quests, so I was able to update XP's. I also retrieve base abilities & monster packages, so I should be able to decipher major abilities/talents used by most Awakening creatures. ::As for the achievements, I didn't extract or find any listing from erf files. I just happened to came upon an entry on another gaming site, GameBanshee, so I added that note. I will give a go at a separate page for this achievement, but I can't confirm the info myself, since I don't have a vanilla game or account. The other achievements should be self-explanatory. --BlueOtter (talk) 03:24, March 6, 2014 (UTC) :::Okay I'll write the page myself. Do you have a direct link to GameBanshee? 22:20, March 8, 2014 (UTC) Yes, theirs is built like a database with frames, so different kind of navigation: Cost of Doing Business Walkthrough Just this one sentence (and, nothing else on other quest pages): To earn the achievement "The Enduring Vigil," you'll need to complete this quest, plus secure the basement and improve the gear of your soldiers. Jarvia's Hideout & Rogek Regarding your change to Entering Jarvia's Hideout, how were you able to get Rogek to help you? I tried talking to him and he wouldn't say anything about Jarvia, the Carta, or the hideout. Do you have to talk to him before starting Precious Metals, during that quest, or after it's completed? --Hornacek (talk) 02:38, March 7, 2014 (UTC) :I ignored him (and much of Dust Town) until I obtained the Second Task (from either Lord Harrowmont or Prince Bhelan). Then, headed to Dust Town and talked to him. If you had already bought his Smuggled Lyrium, then, the dialogue option about Jarvia/Carta Hideout will not trigger. Obviously, he will not be there if you killed him or let him walked away when you have insufficient funds to buy his lyrium. --BlueOtter (talk) 04:29, March 7, 2014 (UTC) ::Ok, I usually start Precious Metals as soon as I get the required Gold in order to get the reward so I have already started this quest by the time I start Entering Jarvia's Hideout. I will try waiting next time. --Hornacek (talk) 04:44, March 7, 2014 (UTC) Inquisition Controls Hey, BlueOtter - thanks for adding the Playstation controls. I'm a PC gamer and the stuff on the web was really sparse, so I couldn't really fill out that page as it deserved and you did. DaBarkspawn (talk) 21:38, April 11, 2015 (UTC)